Trauma trainings for Lancaster County corrections and parole officers

I recently led 7 days of training about trauma, resilience, ACEs and the links to addiction, mental health issues and criminal justice system involvement for about 400 corrections officers and parole officers in Lancaster County through my role as Director of the RMO for Returning Citizens. We trained the entire staff of Lancaster County Adult Probation and Parole, and the entire staff of Lancaster County Prison.

We also had financial support for this training through a grant to the RMO from the Walters / Unitarian Church Trust, an endowment from Art and Selma Walters to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lancaster (UUCL). The grant-makers wrote, “In awarding this grant, the UUCL Board has acknowledged the contributions of the RMO to achieving the vision of inclusiveness among all humans as well as respect for the dignity and worth of each individual, as promoted by the Walters Trust and UUCL.”

This first round of trainings for prison and probation/parole staff is the beginning of the RMO’s effort to build the foundation for a trauma-informed criminal justice system in Lancaster County.